#Danny’s like eww that’s my mom

[obsessedwithstarwars]

Still Alive (But Barely Breathing)

If someone had told Red Hood that he was going to climb through the wrong window at one of his many safe houses, he’d have laughed and flipped them off. Not just because it probably would have been the Demon Brat saying it and disregarding the little fucker would certainly get under his skin. And piss off Bruce. No. Jason was definitely too careful to make a mistake like that.

Well, until tonight.

To be fair, he had been shot. Twice. A through and through in his side, hopefully not damaging anything important, and once in the arm. But that might’ve been a graze. Going by pain, it hurt less than his side. Somewhere between “I need a bandaid” and “stepping on an infinite number of Legos with sharp teeth” on the pain scale. Honestly, he didn’t even want to look until he was safe. It’s not a problem if I can’t see it. And he was currently not safe judging by the sword the resident of this apartment held at his throat.

The first thing he noted was that she wasn’t afraid. In fact, she seemed hella pissed. Her beautiful blue eyes flashed in the moonlight. Most people, when they saw the helmet, along with his stature (Dickface said he was built like a tank) and intimidating presence, well, they got a little scared. This woman stood resolute, calm and determined in the face of danger. She had the presence of an Amazonian warrior. Now, Jason wasn’t much of a betting man, but he’d have put money down on her winning this fight.

Too many voices were vying for dominance in his mind. A part of him thought that if he could get the sword away from his throat, he stood a fighting chance of getting away. Another part considered his injuries. He was lightheaded already which was not a good sign. He needed to get out of here and get help fast. Another part geeked out over the sword. It was exquisite. This woman really had taste. The ornate filigree handle looked like a Swiss rapier, circa late 1600s. But the blade was not fragile like a rapier. In fact, it looked more like a sturdy longsword. Like she had taken pieces of history and meshed them together to create a sword that was beautiful but deadly. Another very small voice thought she was beautiful. He tried to ignore the last one it definitely wouldn’t help him here and hatch a plan to escape. She stepped further into the moonlight and all thoughts flew out of his head. He could have sworn her eyes were ice blue. Now they were a familiar bright green; practically glowing. Where had he seen that color before?

Trying to think made his head all fuzzy. Oh well. Time for some introductions. He felt like a seasoned warrior out to meet a new friend or foe. Attempting to speak felt like an impossible task.

“Hi.” He choked out, his voice gravelly and menacing with the helmet on.

“Hi Mister Red Hood!” A boy’s voice rang out from behind the woman. Oh shit. There was a kid. How did he not see a kid? Why was there a kid here?! He glanced around and noticed the sparse furniture along with a few moving boxes stacked in the corner. He… did he have the wrong apartment? This was his safe house in the Narrows. As far as he knew, no one lived on his floor or in the apartments above or below his. That’s what made this safe house perfect. It was convenient. It was safe.

The woman whispered something to the boy. He couldn’t tell if the words she spoke in a foreign yet all too familiar language were what made his blood run cold. Or the rapid blood loss was getting to him. Right. He needed help. Now. That forced him back into focus. He could feel his thoughts slowly slipping away. He grabbed onto the edge of the windowsill he’d just climbed through, grunting in pain at the sudden gush of blood coming from his side.

The woman tentatively lowered her sword, concern etched on her face. Good. This was good. He was… what was he doing? A wave of dizziness washed over him and he fell backward onto the floor. Black started forming around the edges of his vision. The woman rushed to his side and leaned over him. Her touch was light as she quickly assessed his wounds. Her hair enveloped his vision, so all he could see was her beautiful face. She was talking to him, face to face, er well, helmet, but he couldn’t hear her. Her voice distorted and muffled.

His last thought was, “Damn she’s pretty.” Before succumbing to sleep.

[samgirl98]

Here be Crack

Adopted?!

Dani bit into a chili hotdog she had bought while staring at the city from the highest building she could find. The sun had set a few hours ago, but the cold didn’t bother her.

The perks of being half-dead.

She finished the last bit of her hotdog when she felt more than heard a whoosh. She turned around to find the legendary Batman standing beside her.

Even with the white-out eyes, she could feel his eyes on her.

“Can I help you,” she asked while inching further away from him.

“Can I get a DNA test,” he asked back. That stopped Dani in her tracks.

What?

“What?”

“Can I get a DNA test,” he repeated.

“Okay, wow, so I didn’t imagine that. Why?”

“You look like m—someone I know. I just want to confirm if you are or are not related to that person.”

“So, what, I look like you, and you want a DNA test? Do you go up to every child that has black hair and blue eyes and ask for one?”

“No,” he answered without elaborating or denying that he was talking about himself.

Fuck it; it’s not as if Dani had anything else to do.

“LOL, sure,” she said, “but you’re gonna be really confused.”

Dani allowed Batman to cheek-swab her and then watched as he put her DNA sample into a small computer he was carrying in his gloves of all places. She did take the juice box and lollipop he gave her. Dani never turned down free food.

It helped that human poison didn’t affect her.

Five minutes later, Dani took out her phone.

“Hello,” a groggy voice asked.

“Yo, Danny, are you adopted?”

“What the fuck? No.”

“Then why is Batman saying he’s my dad?”

“Who are you talking to,” Batman asked as he finished talking into his headpiece.

“The guy I’m cloned from,” she answered.

“Wait, what,” Batman asked, furious.

“What do you mean Batman is saying he’s your father? Jack Fenton is my dad!”

“Yeah, I think you need to talk to your parents, big guy.”

Dani heard footsteps before Danny yelled, “Mom, dad, am I adopted?!”

“What, of course not,” a woman’s voice said.

“Yeah, Dann-o, you are 100% a Fenton, even if you don’t carry my blood.”

“Dad, what do you mean I don’t carry your blood, and why was I never told about this? Why is Batman saying that he’s my father?”

“Batman, that’s strange,” Mr. Fenton bellowed out, “We had that threesome with Bruce Wayne.”

“Oh, my Ancients,” Dani yelled out, “Batman is Bruce Wayne, the himbo?”

Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, made a confused noise while his other children laughed into the comms.

“Oh, eww, gross, I didn’t need to know that,” Danny yelled.

“Well, we were a bit tipsy, and he was interested in our technology,” Maddie said. Batman took the phone from Dani’s hands.

“Who is this,” he growled.

“Shut the hell up, fruit loop. I just found out my parents fucked around with a billionaire furry who beats up criminals.”

“No, we slept with Bruce Wayne,” Bruce recognized that loud bellow. Jack Fenton.

“Ancients, stop saying that!”

The boy hung up the phone, and Bruce was left with a little girl up on Wayne Enterprise. He had no idea what to do.

“So, you have any food?”

Will not expand on this but if you guys want to let me know and tag me

@epilepticnerd @thatonegaybitch68 @awkwardmaiden @s-ourbuns @lovelypitasworld @akikkobara @skulld3mort-1fan @joseph557 @fisticuffsatapplebees @seraphinedemort @multi-fandom13 @auralykos @the-legal-shipper @gluck-gluck-hyuck @icepopstar5105us @starlightcat04

Fic idea

Ellie in Gotham, vibing it up, when this guy (Batman) comes out of nowhere and asks her to do a DNA test.

Ellie: “lol, sure, but your gonna be real confused.”

Ellie finding out she shares DNA with this guy and pauses before whipping out her phone and calling Danny.

Ellie: “Yo Danny? Are you adopted?”

Danny: “What no???”

Ellie: “Then why is Batman saying he’s my dad???”

Danny: “What?”

Batman: “who’s that?”

Ellie: “the guy I’m cloned from.”

Batman: “?????”

[cinnamonkittenz]

Fashion headcanons that no one asked for but my job is boring so here goes nothing

Kai: used to follow a lot of trends until he figured out his own style which is basically Danny from "Grease", so lots of leather jackets, white tank tops, combat boots, sunglasses and way too much hair gel

Jay: His parents encouraged his self expression from a very young age so he dresses very unconventionally (it often looks like an absolute mess but he somehow makes it work), lots of inspo from the 80s esp the colors (think of his show master outfit) and the whole arcade game aesthetic, but also some gender nonconforming stuff like tennis skirts and colorful eyeliner and nails

Cole: Doesnt really care about fashion or his appearance in general (let's Jay style his hair from time to time tho), sticks to t-shirts (mostly band tees bc you cant go wrong with that right), jeans or those pants with a lot of pockets for people who do construction work and also combat boots, the color scheme is mainly blacks and greys, he has his ears pierced tho and occasionally wears those black round earrings

Zane: He doesnt really care about gender roles and the whole men and women fashion thing, he wears whatever he feels like, so it's either very formal with a buttoned up shirt tucked into mid rise pants (50s atomic family dad but also a touch of 70s) or very free spirited, long flowing gowns or skirts (also kinda 70s but less vibrant colors, he mainly dresses in blue tones, whites and greys)

Nya: Used to be a "I'm not like other girls, I dont care about fashion" girl (self insert much) but since she outgrew that phase she puts a little more effort into her outfits, nothing groundbreaking, they're still very simple (high rise pants and a shirt that might have a print on it) but some jewelry here and just and overall more put together look, sticks mostly to blues and blacks but sometimes she'll incorporate some magenta or even pink to show that shes overcome the whole "eww pink sucks its too girly" thing, Jay often gives her styling tips

Lloyd: Doesnt put any effort into his outfits, bc of his sudden age up he skipped the whole "figuring out my style" phase, used to wear either his school uniform or stuff his mom bought him so it's still just jeans and T-Shirt, wears lots of bright colors tho to distance himself from his dark past (tm)

[artificialqueens]

Masters of the Scene, Chapter 5 (Bitney Parent Trap AU) - Veronica

A/N: Hi angels!! Hope this story is entertaining you! Huge thank you once again to @tumble4rpdr for her absolutely essential beta notes. You’re a star an I am so grateful for your help.

A note, now that Adore an Danny have officially “switched” places: in this chapter, some of the scenes are from Adore and Danny’s POV (with their “correct” names and pronouns just as before) and some are from Courtney and Bianca’s (with the “wrong” names and pronouns because they think they’re with the other child). I know it sounds confusing, but it was the most straightforward way I could think of writing it. (Thanks to @hausofliaison for pointing out that it might be confusing.)

Click here for prequels and previous chapters, or here if you’d rather read on AO3.

Chapter Summary: Adore and Danny continue to bond with their respective parents, finding a lot more in common than they expected.

***

Danny peeked into the kitchen, grimacing when he caught sight of Fame kissing his mother, right on the mouth, with a very upsetting amount of tongue. Eww.

It did make him wonder though, for a brief moment, what it would be like if his moms were still together. Mum was the most affectionate person he’d ever met, and Mama was a close second, at least when it came to people she cared about. He’d probably feel differently about the PDA in that scenario. It might be a little embarrassing, but at least it wouldn’t make him queasy like the sight of Fame mauling his mother with her tongue.

He pushed the door open hard enough to make a loud bang, startling them both, then flashing a satisfied grin and singing, “Good morning!”

“Hi pussycat. How’d you sleep?”

Danny gave a grunt and a shrug, plunking himself down on one of the bar stools. Fame hurried over to him with a big plate of pancakes covered in whipped cream and sliced bananas.

“Are you hungry? Your mom said that you love chocolate chip pancakes,” she said, setting down the plate.

“You made this?” Danny asked, one eyebrow raised, almost impressed.

“Well, no, but I did order it!” Fame chirped, and Bianca laughed, as if this was some kind of original and hilarious joke.

Danny rolled his eyes, unprepared to give her the satisfaction of even a light chuckle. Instead of eating the pancakes, he picked up a pitcher of orange juice and poured himself a glass. Out of the corner of his eye, Danny noticed Fame’s long, stiletto nails, tapping nervously on the marble countertop. He smirked to himself, knowing exactly what Adore would say in this situation. A month together had taught him an awful lot about the world.

“Aren’t lesbians supposed to have short nails?” he asked.

Bianca started choking on her coffee, and Fame looked like she wanted the earth to swallow her up. Deeply pleased with himself and riding high from the glee of getting to say something he normally wouldn’t, Danny grabbed a fork and began to dig into his pancakes. Not bad.

“She’s…so precocious,” Fame said, primly folding her hands together.

“Yeah,” Bianca coughed one more time, shaking her head. “That’s my baby girl.”

Danny flashed Bianca a big smile, mouth full of pancakes, saying, “Gotta love me, right?”

“Always, pussycat,” Bianca laughed. “Even when you’re a pain in the ass.”

“Um...Adore. Speaking of nails...” Fame cleared her throat, making a face like she knew what a terrible transition that was, then said. “Your mother has to work today, so I thought you might want to come with me to the salon and get mani-pedis? I’d really like to get to know you better.”

Danny wrinkled his nose, then turned to Bianca, ignoring Fame entirely to ask, “Do I have to, Mama? Why can’t I come with you again, to the studio?”

“You can come with me.” Bianca set her coffee mug in the sink. “But maybe say ‘no thank you’ to Fame instead of ignoring her like an asshole.”

“No thank you, Fame!” Danny said, voice sing-song and excessively cheerful, dripping with bitter sarcasm.

“It’s alright.” Fame gave him an insincere smile in return, shoulders slumping a little. If she was anyone but the homewrecker trying to get her claws into his mother, he’d probably have felt bad.

After Danny finished wolfing down his pancakes, he slipped from the stool and headed towards Adore’s room to change, pausing in the doorway to glance back at them.

“She hates me,” Fame was murmuring, looking frustrated and annoyed.

Ha. Victory.

“Just give it some time, babe,” Bianca said, sliding her arms around her waist. “She’ll come around.”

She kissed Fame gently on the cheek, then the mouth. Yuck. Didn’t they ever stop? Danny wondered, unable to help comparing Mum and her warm, easygoing energy to this stuck-up woman.

Danny cleared his throat loudly, and they both looked up, separating quickly.

“Uhh...when are we leaving?”

Bianca glanced at the clock, then said, “About an hour.”

“Okay, thanks!”

***

Adore had been hearing about the Carlotta House her whole life, but she’d never actually been inside. A few times, while visiting Courtney in LA, her mother had to swing by and drop something off, and she’d always asked Adore inside, but she’d staunchly refused, folding her arms and staying put in the car until Courtney returned.

She wasn’t sure why, thinking about it now. Maybe it was knowing that there was a place where Courtney poured so much of her heart and soul, not to mention her money, and maybe it was her way of getting back at Courtney for making her feel unwanted and abandoned. This place and these people that Courtney cared about so much—it was just a painful reminder of how much love Adore was missing out on by not living with her.

Danny, however, went all the time--another reason why Adore had previously refused. But now, she was Danny, so she let Courtney shake her awake at the crack of dawn and went with her. Danny had given her as much information as possible about who was who and what would be expected, even making her a photo gallery of a bunch of people whose names Adore was terrified she’d forget.

It turned out, she shouldn’t have been so worried. Helping make and serve brunch was actually fun, and so was chatting with the residents, who were all super cool and nice and seemed to love her mum to death. She was soon relaxed and having a good time, forgetting all about how tired she was when Courtney dragged her out of bed, how nervous she’d been about the whole situation. Honestly, it even made her see Courtney in a different way--she wasn’t just doing this for her ego or to look good. She obviously really cared about the residents and wanted to bring something bright into their lives.

After the food was served, they sat down with everyone at one of the large tables to eat. Adore was mostly quiet, observing the group, and especially the way everyone kept excitedly sharing things with Courtney, like updates on their classes and relationships, one boy in particular talking her ear off about a book she’d recommended while she grinned and nodded enthusiastically. As they were finishing, Courtney looked over and caught Adore’s eye, giving her a warm smile, the kind she always gave to Danny. Before Adore could even be bitter about it, she found herself grinning back, pride blooming in her chest at the way Courtney’s smile brightened even more.

Just then, a beautiful girl came bounding up to Adore and wrapped her in a hug.

“Hi Danny! We missed you!”

She racked her brain for the girl’s name, lamenting over her mind short circuiting at this moment--how on earth could she have forgotten the name of someone that pretty? Luckily, before the girl released her from the hug, she finally remembered.

“Naomi! Hi!”

“Did you have fun at camp?”

“Yeah, totally. How about you, did you have-I mean, are you having a good summer?” Adore tried not to trip all over her words, but she felt incredibly stupid, not to mention the fact that her cheeks were burning hot.

Naomi gave her a charming smile, looking at her closely, probably making her cheeks even redder. This was all Courtney’s fault for passing down those awful Caucasian blushing genes.

“You look...different.” Something about the way Naomi looked at her made her feel strangely exposed. It was both terrifying and thrilling, making her stomach turn in rapid somersaults.

“I-I do?”

“Yeah. Good, though,” Naomi said. “I really like your hair.”

“Oh, thanks,” Adore said, lowering her eyes, willing her heart to stop pounding so rapidly. She was sure that Naomi could hear it.

“Anyway, I’m on clean-up duty today, so I guess I better hop to it,” Naomi said.

“Oh.” In spite of being insanely embarrassed and self-conscious, Adore realized that she didn’t want Naomi to leave. “Um, I’ll see you around?”

“You can count on it!”

Later, in the car back home, Courtney snuck a sly glance over at her in the passenger seat before saying, “So...I didn’t realize you liked Naomi so much.”

“What?!” Adore’s head whipped towards her in shock. “I do not!”

“It’s okay, Danny,” Courtney laughed and adjusted her sunglasses. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. She’s a very beautiful girl.”

“I don’t like her,” Adore grumbled, folding her arms. “I was being friendly.”

“Aww...I’m sorry. I just got a little misty-eyed. My little boy is growing up…” Courtney reached over to tousle her hair, and though her impulse was to duck, brush her away, she knew that Danny would probably just let it happen. “Anyway, I’m glad you could come. Everyone asked about you the whole time you were gone; they really missed you.”

“Well...I missed them. They’re really cool.” Adore smiled to herself, thinking about how proud she’d felt earlier. “And...so are you.”

“Me? Cool?” Courtney’s grin deepened, and she looked at Adore over the top of her shades, eyes wide in exaggerated shock.

“Yeah.” Adore didn’t usually give Courtney compliments, but seeing her mum glow under the praise made her think that maybe she should. “I love you, Mum.”

“I love you too, precious.”

“I really missed you,” Adore said, voice breaking on the last word. If only Courtney understood just how much she meant it. But of course, she couldn’t. Not yet.

“I missed you too, my love,” Courtney said. As soon as she rolled to a stop at the next light, she leaned over and kissed Adore’s head, smoothing down the hair she’d just mussed. “So, so much.”

***

Bianca pressed her lips together, trying to suppress the smile on her face, seeing her daughter poring over a large book about design. She’d never cared much about Bianca’s work before, but since getting back from camp, she’d been jazzed to join Bianca in the studio nearly every day.

She’d assumed that it was just some clinginess after being separated for most of the summer - which of course Adore would never admit out loud, and Bianca was all too happy to indulge her daughter’s pride. But now, watching her examine a page of bridal skirt shapes, Bianca wondered if maybe, just maybe, something had piqued her interest in fashion beyond fishnet and Doc Martens.

“Hey, pussycat. Come here.” Bianca patted her lap, gesturing for Adore to join her at the drafting table. She walked over, hesitating with an uncharacteristic shyness instead of plunking down into Bianca’s lap as usual. Another side effect of being away so long, Bianca figured. Or possibly, self consciousness of simply being a Girl at That Age.

When she finally sat down gingerly on Bianca’s lap, Bianca wrapped her arms around her, giving her a big bear hug from behind and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Mama, gross,” Adore whined, wiping her cheek, suddenly seeming very much herself.

Bianca laughed and picked up a pencil. She directed Adore’s attention to the sketch in front of them, a bias-cut, one-shoulder gown with a mermaid skirt.

“What do you think of this? Be honest.”

“Umm...it’s alright. For like...an old lady.”

“Ouch.”

“Sorry,” she giggled, popping some Skittles into her mouth.

“Well…” Bianca turned to a fresh page. “What would you do differently?”

As they went back and forth, Bianca sketched, pencil moving quickly over the page. She asked Adore lots of questions, stopping a few times to show her references, asking her to choose between necklines and bodice shapes, fabrics and skirt lengths. She was shocked by how attentive Adore was, how interested in everything, and found herself growing more and more excited, even proud.

After about 25 minutes, she held up the sketch for Adore to see.

It was a cute dress, actually. Nothing Bianca ever would have come up with, but a fun Juniors look, something she could imagine Adore herself wearing in a few years, when she had school dances to go to. Their first collaboration, Bianca found herself thinking, getting a bit ahead of herself.

“Oh wow, it’s awesome!”

“Just one last thing…” Bianca signed the bottom the way she typically did, a big loopy B.D.R., and then passed the sketch to Adore. “Sign your name.”

“Really?” Adore asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah, it’s a collaboration,” Bianca told her.

“Well…” she paused, pencil in the air, almost uncharacteristically nervous, then said, “I think...I’m gonna try out a new signature.”

“Go for it.”

She bent over the sketch, writing her name in bold block letters, the ‘A’ represented by an anarchy sign.

“Nice signature,” Bianca laughed. “Do you want to keep it?”

“Could I?” Adore’s hazel eyes sparkled with excitement, and Bianca couldn’t help but feel even more parental pride, that maybe her daughter would someday follow in her footsteps.

“It’s all yours, baby girl.” Bianca grinned and glanced at her watch. “Do you wanna go to lunch? I’m in the mood for deli.”

“Sure!”

*

“Need some help, Mum?”

Courtney looked up from where she was kneeling in the garden, eyes widening in surprise when she saw Danny in a pair of old baggy jean shorts and a camp t-shirt, a bandana around his shaggy hair.

“Help? Here?” she asked, gesturing to the garden. She’s tried for years to get her son excited about joining her and he’d never wanted to. After awhile, she let it go and stopped trying. After all, he ate the vegetables, which was probably better than could be expected of most tween boys.

“Yeah, I mean...if you want,” Danny said, biting his lip, one foot turned inward.

“Of course I do!” Courtney gave him a bright smile, reaching for his hand to pull him closer. “I’m just surprised. I thought you were afraid of bugs.”

“Nah, you should have seen the giant monster bugs we had at camp.” He kneeled down beside her. “So, whatcha doing?”

“Well…” Courtney dug into the basket beside her, pulling out an extra pair of gardening gloves, which she handed to him, along with a kiss to the top of his head. “We’re doing some planting today. I’m trying to get this done before it gets too sunny.”

“That’s good, ‘cause I really didn’t plan to be doing farm work all day,” he said, making Courtney laugh.

“Right now I’m working on this row of carrots,” she said. “We need holes about this big, and then we can drop in the seeds.”

She showed him what to do, and the two of them worked quickly, soon moving onto beets, then onions, and finally Savoy cabbage before the sun forced them to take a break, moving over to the patio where Courtney had piled that morning’s harvest: summer squash, tomatoes, zucchini, figs, and a massive basket of green beans, which she knew were Danny’s favorite.

“Help yourself to the green beans,” she told him, grabbing a few bottles of her homemade strawberry lemonade from the outdoor fridge.

“Don’t, uh...don’t you need to like...wash them?” Danny asked, scrutinizing a bean carefully.

“Nah, I don’t use any chemicals,” Courtney said, then laughed at the strange expression on his face. “I promise they’re the same ones you always eat, Dan.”

“Right.” He took a tiny bite, then his expression softened. “Oh yeah, these are good.”

“Has it really been that long that you forgot?” Courtney asked, sticking a metal straw into his lemonade and handing it over. “I paid extra for the healthy meal options at camp.”

“Well, yeah, but it was still camp food. Not a lot of raw veggies.”

“Mmm…” Courtney shook her head, slightly disapproving.

“Did we have a vegetable garden at the old house?” Danny asked, suddenly looking up at Courtney with a curious expression.

“Um...a little one. There wasn’t much space. Don’t you remember?”

Their last house had been a little two-bedroom bungalow in West LA. Courtney had saved virtually every penny she could for several years to afford the property in Topanga Canyon where they now lived, and then spent another four slowly restoring the dilapidated old farmhouse into something rustic and beautiful, with teeming gardens, a custom-built swimming pool, a detached studio for her to film and edit her videos.

So though they’d been there for awhile, Danny was 7 year old when they’d moved, and it surprised Courtney to hear that he didn’t have a clear memory of the house and small, modest garden.

“Well...I kinda remember that one. But the place before that...that one’s harder to remember.” He paused before asking carefully, “Did we live there for a long time?”

Courtney swallowed hard, her throat feeling tight and dry. ‘The place before that’ was the apartment where they’d lived as a family. After Bianca left, it took Courtney almost a year to move, and every day in the place was a painful reminder of what she’d lost. She hated to remember that year, the bitter loneliness and endless tears that she’d tried so hard to hide from her son. Then, once she’d finally found a new place for them to have a fresh start, she’d discovered that leaving it behind, letting go of the memories that she still clung to, was even harder than staying and being confronted by them every day.

“Um...I guess it was about two years, total,” she told him softly.

“Do you miss...uh…” Danny trailed off, biting his lip.

He didn’t normally ask her questions like this, and Courtney wanted to make sure he knew that it was okay. Just because she still felt pain about her failed marriage didn’t mean that he should, too. It was probably a long time coming, if she was honest. She reached out and placed one of her hands over his.

“It’s okay if you’re curious, honey. You can ask me anything. I promise.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course. Always.”

“Well…” Danny looked up, hazel eyes earnest, and asked, “Do you miss Mama?”

Courtney took a deep breath. She’d just promised him he could ask anything, but she wasn’t expecting that right out of the gate. However, it wouldn’t do any good to avoid the question.

“Yeah,” Courtney said, nodding slowly, one thumb stroking the back of his hand. “I do. Do you?”

He seemed a little thrown off by that, but then nodded slowly as well, both of them sharing a sad smile.

“Come here…” Courtney said, beckoning him over with her head.

He curled into her lap, letting her hold him and rock him slowly just like when he was little, her cheek resting on top of his head, one hand rubbing his back in slow circles.

“Divorce is shit,” she said honestly, and he laughed slightly, nodding.

“Sure is.”

[peterstanslizzie]

Re-watching Lizzie Mcguire: Episode 1.4 (Pool Party)

The Actual First Episode

A classic Lizzie Mcguire episode

- For some strange reason, this episode was considered episode #4 and the fourth episode to air even though the production code for this episode is '101′. Meaning that chronologically, this is episode #1 and probably the series pilot. It’s no wonder that all the kids look a lot younger here than in other episodes.

- That being said, let’s begin my episode recap. Lizzie is running through an obstacle course during P.E. class and she’s having a miserable time; I can definitely relate. Side note: Coach Kelly is played by Dot Marie Jones, who also played Coach Beiste on the hit Fox television series, Glee.

- Cartoon Lizzie, who is Lizzie’s conscience gives us a brief commentary on the different social circles in her gym class and she describes herself as someone who doesn’t fit in any category. I can also relate to her in that aspect just because during high school, I didn’t fit into any sort of clique. And that’s fine because having multiple interests and friends from different walks of life was beneficial to me.

Introducing Lizzie’s BFFs and Classmates

This is so pure, I love it

- Babies! They look so young here for real. Miranda is first introduced as Lizzie’s best friend and they basically confide in each others secrets. But more about Miranda later on.

Gordo is so cute but extremely wise for his age

- Lizzie knew Gordo since she was a day out of her mom’s womb. She describes him as “smart, funny, creative and right about everything”. That’s our Gordo for sure.

Kate looks quite different here and it’s not because of the face she’s pulling

- Kate Sanders, as you all know is Lizzie’s frenemy but former best friend because she hit puberty and became popular because of that. I kinda need more info on how that happened. Did the other girls suddenly look up to her? Or did Kate suddenly develop a lot of confidence and a mean attitude to pair?

Danny Kessler was more visible at the start of the series. I wonder what happened?

- I believe Danny was meant to play a larger part in the show; However, his character just kind of faded into the background later on only to be somewhat replaced by Ethan Craft, who is a far better character in my opinion. He serves the purpose of being the hottest boy in school who girls go gaga for and that’s about it really. Danny invites Lizzie and Miranda to a pool party on Saturday and they lose their minds from the invitation. 

The Mcguire Household

Lizzie vs Dad and Matt lol. Jo as referee.

- I found this scene, which introduces us to Lizzie’s parents and brother to be a little chaotic; Lizzie tells her family that she’s been invited by the ‘hunk-in-training’ of the school to a party. We also get mentions of spit-swapping and strip poker as well as her dad thinking she has been kissing Danny and having second thoughts on allowing her to go to this party.

- Well, Lizzie doesn’t have to worry about it because she can’t go either way because her Nana’s 80th birthday party falls on the same day. Lizzie gets mad and storms off. I’m guessing her Nana lives out of town and so, it isn’t possible to go to her birthday party and also come back for Danny’s party on the same day.

Miranda’s Betrayal

- Lizzie vents to Miranda and Gordo about not being able to make it to Danny Kessler’s pool party and because of that, being the best friend Miranda is supposed to be, she tells Lizzie that she too won’t be attending his party either in order to show her support for Lizzie.

Side note: Knowing that this episode was written by Terri Minsky, I made the connection that Gordo’s parents who are shrinks is similar to Andi Mack Cyrus’s parents and step-parents being therapists too.

- Kate approaches Miranda and asks her a favor to ask her mom to draw some fake, temporary tattoos on her and her friends for the upcoming party. Miranda accepts and agrees to hang out with Kate after school, which pretty much means she’s re-attending the party and hence, betraying Lizzie in the process.

Miranda is disliked by most fans because of instances like this

- I honestly cannot be too hard on Miranda because she’s only 13 and everyone at school keeps talking about the pool party. Plus, she has a crush on Danny. So, I can’t fault her for ditching Lizzie but she could have at least asked Kate if Lizzie could come along to her house.

- However, I didn’t like how Lizzie was sitting by herself in the same school bus as Miranda and Kate and Miranda did not bother to ask her to sit with them. Even if Kate isn’t willing to let her, she should definitely stand her ground. Poor Lizzie has to sit with this one kid who proudly picks his nose and flicks it.

“Eww! Ya Nasty!” *in Raven Baxter’s voice

Obligation vs Being Forced to do things

- Jo Mcguire is on the phone talking to someone about trying to get out of volunteering to write for a newsletter. Lizzie overhears this and confronts her mom for being hypocritical as she is forcing Lizzie to attend her Nana’s birthday party whilst she herself is trying to come up with an excuse to get out of doing something else.

- I get what Lizzie means; how is it okay for her mom to make excuses while she can’t? Well, Jo is an adult, so excuses are something that she is able to make and bear the responsibilities that come out of it. Lizzie is still a kid and I believe that her old grandma’s birthday is more important than some middle school party.

Heart to Heart

- After Lizzie confines herself in her room, Jo deploys her husband, Sam to try to get Lizzie to open up by asking him to use a simple yet complicated technique known as the ‘hairbrush routine’, which is making an excuse to look for something in the room and proceed to talk about a neutral topic and only engage with the questioning at hand when she makes eye contact and speaks in full sentences. Lol, that’s a mouthful.

- Luckily, we did get this beautiful moment in the end:

Give me some tissues :(

Gordo is the Man

This is some good acting imo

- Can we first talk about that long stare between Lizzie and Miranda in the hallway when Miranda, Kate and her crew were walking past Lizzie by her locker? Their expressions were so believable; I can almost read the dialog between their faces alone.

- Lizzie complains to Gordo and accuses Miranda for being a hypocrite but Gordo tells Lizzie that she shouldn’t be mad at her because the party was something Miranda really wanted to go to.

- Ughh, it’s hard. The position Miranda was put in is so difficult. It’s either she doesn’t go to the party to show her loyalty or she does go and have the best time of her life but risk having her friend hate her because of it. Either way, I think Lizzie shouldn’t be mad at Miranda regardless. There are plenty more episodes for that in the future.

- Gordo delivers the final blow when he says that he wasn’t even invited to the party and that pretty much cancels out all of Lizzie’s arguments.

Another cute Lizzie x Gordo moment

Lizzie makes up with her Mom and Miranda

- Jo enters Lizzie’s room and tells her that her Nana is going to Las Vegas to play poker and so, Lizzie is free to go to the pool party. What a grandma haha! I’m happy they hugged it out. I don’t like Lizzie being mad at her mom.

- Lizzie decided to skip the party (good for her!) and she and Gordo played in the backyard and made art by dipping a huge piece of cloth in some color dye to create a really cool effect.

- Miranda unexpectedly shows up at Lizzie’s backyard after leaving the pool party and turns out, she had a bad time because Kate’s ankle swelled up from the tattoo and she had to sit with her in the locker room. She also admits being a bad friend to Lizzie for blowing her off.

- Lizzie doesn’t hold any grudge and she and Miranda are back to being besties!

Overall Thoughts

- There was a lot to talk about in this episode from Lizzie’s relationship woes with her best friend to her feeling like her opinions and thoughts are not seen as valid by her family. I do think that for how Lizzie was so upset at Miranda, she kinda forgave her too easily. But I don’t think I would want to see them continue to not be on speaking terms for more than 1 episode.

- I am glad that there was no unnecessary sub-plot involving Matt and Sam in this episode. His story-lines are really a hit or miss to me. I prefer the ones where his relationship with his friends and family are tested as well as when he faced situations that gave him character development. I don’t like the goofy, comic-relief ones like last episode’s cooking fiasco.

[svubloods]

Imagine being the Youngest Reagan: There’s something about Mary-Margaret

Imagine being the Youngest Reagan: There’s something about Mary-Margaret

Staten Island, New York City, New York 1991

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Mary-Margaret apologised quickly to her sixteen-year-old daughter Erin, before bursting into a fit a giggle so fierce she doubled over slightly in her seat, “Your brother is making faces behind you at me,” She finally made out, still giggling profusely.

Erin spun around quickly and glared at her older brother, “Danny I swear to…”

“Daniel,” Your Father Frank, quickly interjected, his tone stern enough to silence both Erin and eighteen years old, Danny.

“All right, sorry,” He apologised, putting his hands up defensively before flopping down on the couch behind Erin beside his youngest brother eleven-year-old Jamie, “I’ll try not to distract Mom anymore but I can’t help being naturally funny,”

“Pretty sure she was laughing at you and not with you,” Erin commented bitterly, making her younger two brothers who were sitting on the couch but leaning over back watching the whole ordeal unfold, laugh.

“How about we get back to it?” Your Dad suggested, flashing an Erin a comforting smile and his wife a telling look.

“Right,” Your Mother agreed, straining her face into its neutral expression in an attempt to combat the broad grin brought on by Danny sticking his tongue out at her behind Erin’s back, “I’m sorry Erin for getting distracted,”

Erin smirked at her mother behind refocusing on her canvas.

“It looks really great so far,” Fourteen-year-old Joe, complimented, genuinely.

“Thanks, but I want it to perfect,” Erin exclaimed, breathing heavily as she quickly corrected something.

“It’s just an art project,” Danny reasoned.

“Worth over 50% of my final grade,” Erin stated.

“But you’re good at it. The painting looks good, they always are, so why are you worried?” Danny seemingly though out loud, his words surprising everyone in the room, “Plus any painting with Mom in it, is going to be good, I mean have you seen Mom?”

“You think I’m good?” Erin questioned, spinning back around to look at him directly.

“Aww, Danny that’s so sweet,” Your Mother breathed bashfully simultaneously at her oldest words before narrowing her features at him, “What have you done?”

“Nothing,” Danny quickly said defensively, “I’m just saying none of us can say honestly at least that Mom isn’t pretty. I mean I’ve spent my whole life with my friends telling me how hot they think my mom is,”

“Gross,” Jamie shuddered.

“Mine too,” Joe agreed.

“Same,” Erin nodded.

“Well, I have to agree with all of them,” Your Dad chuckled, looking at his wife, who was sitting by his side, fondly, squeezing her hand which he was already holding, “Your mom is definitely the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met,”

Your Mother smiled helplessly at your Dad before sticking her tongue at him cheekily, making him laugh and lean over to press a kiss into her cheek. Causing a series of ‘ewws’ from their children, which just made the pair laugh even more. Your mom flashed them a devilish grin before grabbing your Dads face and pulling him into a proper kiss.

“Please stop,” Danny pleaded.

“Only because you asked so nicely,” Your mom winked her arm still around your Dad’s neck, pressing her cheek into hers.

“Thank you,” Erin muttered before instructing strongly, “Can you get back into position,”

They straightened up back into their seats and looked forward once again.

“How long do you think this going to take?” Your Dad asked, grasping your mom's hand and resting it on his knee.

“Maybe like an hour,” Erin offered, not paying attention as she focused intently on her canvas.

“The things we do, huh?” Your Mom teased.

They managed to chat widely for a few minutes as Erin continued to paint their portrait. Erin’s art assignment required her to paint a lifelike portrait of someone you admire so Erin being Erin decided to do two people to challenge herself and picked the two people she admired most, though she would never admit it, her parents. It wasn’t easy organising them both to be at home at the same time with no other commitments but to sit as models in the hallway by the living room for three hours as she painted them. But she did it, it was after dinner on a Monday night and Joe had managed to get three year old you asleep early enough that they were free. Plus Erin had made everyone do all their homework before dinner so there would be no interruptions. She hadn’t planned on her brothers being so interested however, all three them were perched on the couch directly behind her, leaning over the back so they could see what she doing directly and their parents posing for her project.

And even both your parents were tired from their own long days, it was Monday after all. They had agreed. Your Mom agreed because she would happily do anything that could possibly help any of your guy's education. Your Dad agreed for the same reason but also because it means that all of you would spend some time together for a couple hours and that was all that ever mattered to him. Being with you guys.

“What do you guys think?” Erin asked her brother surprisingly, turning to look at them directly, “I don’t know if I’ve got mom’s eye colour right,”

“Well, it’s not like you teacher will know,” Danny commented.

“Erin you have Mom’s eyes, so just draw your own,” Joe recommends.

“I have Mom’s eye colour but Dad’s eye shape,” She corrected.

“But you look just like Mom,” Jamie interrupted.

“Y/N looks exactly like mom,”

“But she has Dad’s eyes colour,”

“But she’s mostly Mom,” Erin sighed.

“Just like you then,” Joe added.

“But you two look like Mom too,” Erin pointed out to Joe and Jamie, “Well mostly, with a little bit of Dad thrown in,”

“Everyone says we look like twins,” Joe agreed, with Jamie giving an affirmative nod, “But we have the same colour eyes as Grandpa,”

“What about me?” Danny questioned.

An awkward silence fell over the group before they looked towards their parents for saving.

“You’re a combination of both our best features,” Your mom insisted, looking at your Dad before settling on Dad, “You’re my gorgeous firstborn,”

“Yeah, but you have to say that,” Danny brushed off but he couldn't help but smile.

“Would you prefer her to tell you the truth?” Erin muttered under her breath, raising her eyebrows.

“Erin,” Your Mother warned, before adding “All have you know Danny actually looks like your Dad when we first met,”

“Really?”

“Well, if all three of you boys both were combined then, yeah,” She offered, “Just like your Dad,”

“How did you guys meet?” Joe inquired, gently, looking between his parents.

“Hah,” Erin let out stifling her giggles with her hand, soon Danny joined in with her laughter and their parents shared amused looks, “Do you seriously not know?”

“No,” Joe confirmed, “Why are you guys laughing,”

“They’re laughing at me, my love not you,” Your Mom reassured, reaching out for Joe before remembering she had to stay in her seat.

“Why, what happened?” Jamie intervened, pressing the matter.

“You boys know how stubborn, your mother can be, right?” Your Dad asked.

They both nodded immediately much to your Mom’s annoyance as she rolled her eyes to empathise that fact.

“So let’s just say she’s been like that since the day we met,” He chuckled.

Manhattan, New York City, New York, 1973

“Can I help you miss?”

“No,” Your Mom stated simply, not even giving the owner of the voice a second glance as she circled her car quickly.

“Are you sure?” He asked again, watching her intently as she seemingly tossed tools from one hand to the other.

“Listen, I don’t recall asking for your…” Your Mom began exasperatedly, she had been stuck on the side of the road for thirty minutes and this was the third man who had taken it upon themselves to come and try and rescue her, as she spoke she looked up from her crouched position to see your Dad smiling down at her, meeting his gaze for the first time ever she paused momentarily consumed by light hazel, “…Officer…” she managed to get out confidently enough before looking away.

“Oh, I know. I just thought you looked you were in a bit of trouble, you know?” He offered, with a dazzling friendly smile.

“What made you think that?” Your Mom demanded, “Because I’m a girl”

“Because you’re trying to use the jack before loosening the lug nuts,” He responded politely, expertly concealing his grin. “And you saw that from all the way over there?” Your Mom accused, gesturing to the other side of the road where he had parked his police cruiser.

“You’re hard to miss,” He grinned.

Your mom smirked, rolling her eyes before standing up and leaning against the back of the car to look at your Dad.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean you don’t see a lot of bright cars round here,” He elaborated.

“You don’t?”

“It’s New York, most New York teenagers don’t even know how to drive a car ” He chuckled.

“Well, I’m not a New York teenager,” Your Mom sighed.

“Let me guess,” He outwardly pondered before saying, “California?”

“How’d ya know?” She inquired.

“You can tell,” He said, “So do you still not want a hand with that flat?”

“Nope,” She insisted, “But you can tell me how you know I’m from Cali,”

“You really want to know?” He entertained, as she settled back down on the ground and he circled the car so he was standing beside her, watching her in amusement.

“I wouldn't ask if I didn’t,” She informed.

“You can just tell, the accent for one if you want specifics,” He shrugged, “…and the bright red dress helped though. Bit bright for the city,”

“I have a couple of roommates that would disagree,” Your Mom commented, securing the jack and lifting the car up.

“So you moved here for school?” He deducted.

“NYU,” She confirmed, “Moved here a couple of months ago,”  

“By yourself?”

“Like most people when they leave for college,”

“Yeah, I guess,”

“Let me guess, born and bred New Yorker?” She asked.

“Yeah, never lived anywhere but the city,”

“I can tell,” She chuckled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He accused, jokingly.

“Nothing,” She brushed off, playfully, giving him a suggestive wink.

“Sure,”

They both laughed before silence fell over them as your mom unscrewed the lug nuts.

“Well, Officer if you’re going to stand there, do you mind grabbing my spare tire from the back?” You asked, looking up at him with her bright eyes.

He gulped over intensity before giving her a stern nod. Taking a deep breath while he was out of eyesight to control his nerves. Your Dad rarely got nervous but your mom, in that dress, in particular, was making him nervous if not weak in the knees. It’s why he had to lean against the car.

“So what’s it like leaving your family and moving so far away?” He asked casually, “I couldn't imagine not going to see my Ma every day for Sunday dinner.”

“You go have dinner with your parents every Sunday?”

“And my Grandparents right after Church,”

“That’s sweet,” She smiled, “My Dad and I used to do something like that every Wednesday,” She looked away before remembering, “It’s not too bad, my Dad comes up all the time. He’s even thinking of getting an apartment here plus I’ve made tons of friends but it’s not too bad. But then again I don’t really miss San Fransisco very much. I like it here…a lot,”

“Well, I hope my city keeps treating you well,” He grinned.

“It keeps getting better,” She chuckled, looking up tellingly at him.

“So it just you and your Dad?”

“Yep, just the two of us,” She nodded.

“What about your…” He immediately went to ask before stopping himself short, “Sorry, sometimes curiosity gets the best of me,”

“Probably a good quality for a cop,” She complimented, “And my Mom died during Childbirth,”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” He comforted, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“It’s fine,” She teased, patting his hand and giving him a sad smile.

She then suddenly slipped and struggled with the wrench while distracted and your Dad immediately swopped in and helped.

“Sorry,” He apologised, “But I wasn’t raised to leave someone who needs help,”  

“Is that why you are still here in case I need you, Officer…” Your Mom questioned, their faces only a few inches apart.

“Reagan, Officer Francis Reagan, but everyone called me Frank,” He stuttered, gulping loudly due to their sudden proximity.

“Nice to meet you, Frank,” She beamed confidently, putting her hand out for him to shake it, “I’m Mary-Margaret Norgaard, but everyone calls me Em,”

“Why?”

“Because both my names start with the letter M,” She shrugged.

“Right,” He nodded, looking away, flustered.

“Are you nervous, Frank?” She whispered into his ear.

“Well, you’re funny…and really pretty,” He confessed, grinning as he started to blush.

“You’re…not too bad…yourself,” She replied, suddenly equally as nervous as he was, taking his hand as he helped back up as they finished up.

She quickly grabbed all her tools and put them in her trunk before looking back at your Dad who was loitering around still. Hands in his pockets with a bashful expression.

“You know Frank,” Your Mom began to announced, “I don’t actually dress like this all the time,”

“No?” He asked, teasingly.

“I’m actually going to a block party, you know? And I was wondering if you aren’t working if you wanted to come with,” She continued.

“With you?”

“Yes, with me,” She chuckled.

“Yes,” He agreed automatically.

“Great,”

“Let me just take the car back and clock off,” He grinned, “I’ll be back in five, just wait here,”

“Is their police station around here?”

“It’s just down the block,”

Staten Island, New York City, New York 1991

“And so we went to the party together and we danced all night and then we spent the next month spending literally every day together. After work or after class but we saw each other every day and have ever since,” Your Mom continued, looking at your Dad fondly as she wrapped up the story and he held her hands in his, pressing a kiss into them.

“I have a question,” Jamie piped up, even raising his hand a little.

“What is it, Babe?” Your Mom asked.

“Why didn’t you just let him help you with the car if you didn’t know how to do it?”

“Because your Grandpa Chris showed me five times how to change a tire because he didn’t want me to depend on anyone,” She explained, “But I like to think it was fate that I didn't listen because if I had I wouldn’t have met your Father,”

“And she’s just stubborn,” Danny added.

“I think she just wanted to keep talking to Dad,” Erin teased.

“Shouldn’t you be painting?” Your Mom accused.

“Guess I struck a nerve,” She muttered under her breath.

“I’ll just say if I didn’t love your Dad as much as I do, we probably wouldn't have made it,” Your Mom admitted.

“What why?” Joe questioned.

“We had to deal with a lot of stuff to be together, to get married, to have you guys.” Your Dad filled in, “But we got through it,”

“Yeah, we did,” Your Mom agreed, enthusiastically.

“Who had a problem with you two?” Danny inquired.

“Let’s just say your Grandpa Chris wasn’t too happy that I dropped out of school to marry and have a baby with a cop,” You Mom breathed, “But that’s a story for another time,”

“But he likes Dad now, right?”

“He absolutely loves you guys,” Your Dad reassured.

“And he likes your Dad, enough,” Your Mom interjected, “Anyway Erin, how long do you think this going to take now?”

“Almost done,”

“I mean anyone who spends more than ten minutes around you two know that you guys are perfect for each other,” Danny stated aloud once again, not to anyone in particular.

“Is that the second compliment he’s given us tonight?” Your Dad asked your Mom teasingly.

“I think so,” Your Mom responded, in an exaggerated whisper.

“And it will be the last time,” Danny added, annoyed.

“But you guys argue all the time though,” Joe reminded.

“We bicker, but we don’t really argue,”

“Okay, you bicker all the time,”

“But isn’t that a good thing?” Your Mom posed to them all, “It would be boring if we agreed about everything,”

“You guys never agree,” Erin added.

“That’s because we are very different people with different upbringings with different opinions but we do pretty well consider, we have been together for almost twenty years,” Your Dad reasoned.

“And it’s all because I got pregnant with Danny,” Your Mom joked which earned her a disapproving look, “I’m kidding, it’s because your Dad is the greatest thing that I’ve ever had,”

“Nice save,” He acknowledged, leaning into her playfully.

“So what was the worst argument you guys ever had?” Erin inquired, peering over the top of her canvas.

“Probably two years ago when we moved to this house,” Your Dad thought out-loud.

“I was this close to divorcing him,”

“No, she was not,” Your Dad reassured, as a flash of panic appeared on all four faces looking at them.

“That was bad,” Danny agreed, “Can’t blame you though, the whole day sucked,”

“You didn’t make any effort to make it better though,” Your Dad pointed out.

“I apologised,” He defended, “Eventually,”

“What happened?” Jamie asked.

“Your Dad and I got into a big argument the day we moved in here because we were trying to unpack and get settled in all while trying to control five kids including a new-born,”

Staten Island, New York City, New York 1989

“And what do you want me to do about it?” Frank questioned, his voice raised ever so slightly higher than usual and his tone…frustrated, his breathing laboured as he felt himself get angrier.

Not that he would show it. As he stared down into his wife’s blazing eyes. He couldn't be angry when looking at her no matter the situation. Mary, couldn't say the same, however…

“Something!” Mary shouted back at him, they were only inches away from each other but she couldn't help herself from doing it, throwing her hands up and looking around the empty kitchen, littered with moving boxes yet to be unpacked for every room seemingly but the kitchen, “I just can’t…do this…right now!”

“What do you mean?” He probed.

“What do I mean? What do I mean,” She repeated bitterly, before exploding, “What I mean is Erin and Danny aren’t talking to anyone because they're so upset, the boys are fighting and Y/N hasn’t stopped screaming since we arrived because I can give her any of my time because I’m dealing with everyone else all while unpacking so we can get settled into this godforsaken house. And the only reason it’s happening is because of…”

“You think this is my fault?” He demanded, taken aback.

“Well it isn’t mine,” She snapped, “I wanted to stay in…”

We discussed this,” He sighed, reaching for her arm to comfort her, “We didn’t have enough space for everyone. This was the best thing to do for us, for everyone. It was the only way we could afford a place big enough.”

“But we were happy there, even if it was small,” She insisted, interrupting quietly, creating a silence, “We were happy there but I don’t know…I don’t know if I…we can be happy here,”

“You haven’t even given it a chance,” He reminded, pained particularly after she shrugged his hand off her in annoyance.

“I don’t need to give it a chance. It isn’t working,” She stated, indigently.

“You just need to calm down a little,”

“Stop it, Frank. Just stop trying to make this work,”

“I don’t think this is about the house,”

“Stop trying to change the subject,” She cut off.

Your Dad’s tone was calm and collected, “Is this about the ba…”

“Shut up,” Your Mom screamed, “Just shut up,” Breathing heavily and walking across the room, “I just can’t do this right now,”

And with that, she walked out of the room and right by your siblings had crowed outside the closed door. You were only four months old at that point and Erin was holding you. As your Mom walked by she took you from Erin with the best smile she could muster.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“I’m just fine, my love,” She smiled, “I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”

And with that, with you in her arms, she walked out of the house with just you, her wallet and her keys in her hands. She didn't come back till later that night. So much later that everyone had gone to bed when she got back. Except, your Dad, who had stayed up.

The look of relief on his face when she walked through the door with you sleeping in her arms, was one utter and pure. He’d been so worried. She went upstairs to put you down before coming back down to face your Dad.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” She said, being the first to break the silence.

“It’s okay,” He reassured.

“No, it’s not. You were worried.” She argued softly, “Your eyes are as red as mine,”

“I’m just glad you’re both back home,” He breathed.

“Because you missed us or because you think I…” She went to say before stopping herself as more tears rolled down her face.

“Both,” He said, as he drew her into his arms.

“I think you might be right,” She sobbed, “I think there is something wrong with me. I just feel wrong. I love her so much but it isn't the same. I get so worried about her all the time. I need to be with her all the time,”

“We’re going to get through this,”

“How do you know?”

“Because it’s us.”

“And that’s enough?”

“It’s been enough so far,”

Your mom cried into your Dad’s chest for a couple minutes as they stood in the middle of the empty kitchen.

“There’s something about Mary Margaret,” Your Dad started to whisper into her ear.

“What are you doing?”  She questioned, knowing exactly the origin of these words.

“I don’t think I will be able to describe what it is but there is something about her,” Your Dad continued without missing a beat, “ when we first met everyone told me the same. ‘There is just something about Mary-Margaret,’ And they were right. There was just something about her. Mary is special and magnetic but also fierce and apologetic. She makes me feel loved unconditionally every single day. She speaks her mind even if it gets her in trouble sometimes. She lives like her herself every day no matter what anyone says or thinks. The bond we share is based on understanding, respect and what I believe to be pure true love. I have no doubt in my mind that I was made for you. I am the luckiest man on earth because I have had the privilege of falling in love with you and spending my life with you. I love you.”

“I love you too,”

Staten Island, New York City, New York 1991

“And that’s why whenever we have a real argument we say our vows from our wedding day to each other,”

“It just puts things in perspective,” Your Dad concurred.

“Mom, I had no idea you were feeling like that,” Erin sympathised.

“That’s because I didn’t want you guys to know. I didn’t want you guys to ever think I didn’t want or love you. Because no matter what I had to give up. All six of you are the best thing to happen to me,”

“Oh Mom,” Jamie let out before running over and hugging her tightly, quickly followed by Joe.

“My boys,” Your Mom chuckled, before going silent, “And look your sisters up,”

“How do you know?”

“You can hear it,” She said as you appeared sleepily on the top of the staircase.

Joe quickly swept you up and brought three years old you down before quickly passing you to your mother.

“How’s my beautiful baby,” Your mom cooed as your Dad leaned over to play with you too.

“And done!” Erin announced.

Your parents with you in your arms quickly went over to finally see their portrait.

“Hey,” Your Mom protested, “That isn't the pose we were doing,”

“I know but I was so inspired that I did this instead,”

“It’s wonderful,” Your Dad complimented, kissing Erin on the cheek.

Your mom looked on in amazement at the portrait as you babbled in her arms. The pose they had been doing was just both of them holding hands, looking right at Erin. But the portrait consisted of them both laughing heartily, holding hands and looking into each other's eyes as if they were the only two people in the whole world.

It was what they looked like every day.

[sunshineandstorm]

Hey Jude (Sam Kiszka x Reader - Fluff)

Here you were this morning, phone in hand, ignoring the rest of the world.

@gunpowdergelatin: So how's the weather there?

@ClinkFloyd: Gloomy. It's been raining non-stop since this morning.

@gunpowdergelatin: Really? Wow. It's literally the same here.

@ClinkFloyd: It's okay, though. Your presence makes up for it.

You couldn't help but grin like a mindless idiot as soon as you finished reading the last message he sent. You leaned against your locker, unsure of what to do with the butterflies in your stomach.

How were you supposed to respond to a message like that?

Too busy racking your brain for a decent reply, you were snapped out of your trance when your best friend clapped her hands loudly in front of you.

"Jesus, Grace. You startled me." you say, clutching your chest.

"Bitch, I had to. Why were you grinning so hard? Did Harry Styles finally top the reader in this smashing fic that you're reading?"

Bold of her to assume you were reading fan fiction. Whatever made you smile from ear to ear was undoubtedly so much better than the feels trip you occasionally take in the land of make believe.

"Shut up. I'm not you." you retorted, not wanting her to think you were still stuck in that phase.

Grace furrowed her eyebrows as she tried her hardest to guess the reason why you were beaming. You started walking the hallway to your room, her, following closely behind. The moment she kept up with your pace, she began pestering you with all the questions you answered unenthusiastically.

"I wasn't watching a rom-com either. Just forget it."

"No, I'm not gonna stop until you tell me what happened." she insisted, refusing to back down.

You groan as your walking came to a halt, turning to your stubborn best friend beside you. You contemplated telling her for a while, afraid that she'll think you're stupid for smiling because of a sweet message you received.

Well, it's not like you didn't have the right to. It's just that the person who sent it to you is someone you absolutely know nothing about. You know that he's your age, a classic rock fan just like you are, and that he loves music just as much as you do, but much to your chagrin, that's the bloody extent of it.

You have no idea what he looks like or where he's from. Hell, you don't even know his name. You mentally pat yourself on the back for not knowing basic information about this guy that you've been talking to for a month now, just telling yourself that neither of you bothers to inquire because of how good the conversations get as a sop. And even though you were deprived of his personal info, you did know his deepest and weirdest thoughts, making you feel closer to him in a way.

But if you say you're not a little interested about his personal life, then you'd be lying.

You averted your gaze from the ground to Grace, sighing as you decide to just give in and spill. It's not like she didn't already know everything about you anyway.

"Fine. It's Jude. He said something sweet. Are you happy now?" you shared, immediately regretting your decision as soon as more questions were raised.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're still talking to that guy?"

"So?"

Damn it.

You knew it. You knew you shouldn't have brought him up.

"So? Y/N, you hardly know this guy!"

"But he and I are just talking!"

"Okay, yeah, sure. But occasionally, you flirt with each other and maybe even sext. Bitch, how can I be sure you're not dating this guy through Twitter?"

Your eyes widen at her allegations. You were stunned, partly because she's accusing you of something she would do, but mostly because she's scolding you for it instead of supporting you.

Normally, Grace would tell you that you're too uptight or that you need to let loose and have fun, so having her nag you like she's doing at the moment greatly astounds you. You suppose she's just looking out for you like any best friend would, but she tends to be more impulsive than you, so she's really left you confounded right now.

"Chill, mom. We do nothing but talk about dead or old musicians. And personally, I don't see anything wrong with that." you said, defending yourself.

Grace sighed, admitting to herself that your reasoning made sense, but she still found the whole set-up ridiculous nonetheless.

"Okay, but didn't it ever occur to you that this dude's probably a two?"

You gave her a look of disbelief.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Dude, if he's a ten, then his icon would've been a picture of himself instead of Jim freakin' Morrison."

She has a point, but you were certain that yours is a far better one.

"Well, has it ever occured to you that maybe he wants to keep his personal life private? Stan accounts exist for a goddamn reason, Grace, and it's not so he can show the world how good-looking or unattractive he is."

True enough, fan accounts are dedicated to any phenomenon that floats your boat. Grace didn't have trouble understanding this. She just so happens to find the idea of you, conversing with a total stranger on a daily basis really dumb that she's not holding back from giving you a list of reasons why you shouldn't do so anymore.

"And it doesn't matter if he turns out to be an ugly guy. I'm not dating him, nor do I have any plans to." you added, hoping that she'd stop bombarding you with her arguments.

How concerned she is of your actions is making you feel like you're sinful, and as if you're making the biggest mistake of your life. You thought you've already made her understand your explanation and believe your statement, but you were wrong. She wouldn't let the issue slide, which is unlikely.

"You don't even know what his actual name is!" she said, completely disregarding what you've said prior to her comment.

Another thing that bugs you is that you had no choice but to refer to him as Jude since he has "Hey Jude" as his Twitter name. It's probably not the most practical decision you've ever made, but the lack of essential information sharing between the two of you has prompted you to resort to that solution.

"Oh, come on. As long as I'm not crossing the line, then I'm not doing anything wrong! Can we just drop it and talk about other stuff?"

"Fine." Grace huffed, accepting defeat.

"I was going to drop some bomb on you before things went haywire anyway." she informed you, not wanting to argue with you over this mysterious dude you call "Jude" anymore.

You inched closer to her, having forgotten about Jude for a second as you anticipated the juicy gossip she's about to tell you. You grabbed her arm and shook it, urging her to spare the details already.

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Chill, baby cakes. It's about Sam."

Samuel Francis Kiszka. That perfect assortment of chromosomes. Oh, how greatly you loved his long brown locks, his glowing skin, and his prepossessing smile. You've had a crush on that boy since forever, but you only ever talked when you needed to and he never really looked your way. Your interest in him dwindled the moment you interacted with Jude on Twitter, but it's not like you're a loss to him.

You, losing your feelings for him does not affect him in any way since he could care less about you. And besides, he always has a string of girls, pining after him wherever he chooses to go.

"Oh. What about him?"

Typically, you're all ears when literally anyone has anything Sam-related to say, but having Jude to talk to has really made you less interested in him.

If Grace noticed how indifferent you seemed after she mentioned Sam, she chose to ignore it.

"He already has a new girl. I wouldn't say they're dating, though, 'cause I overheard his conversation with Danny and learned that he and this chick are just talking as of now. But according to Sam, things are getting pretty serious." she said as a matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Good for him."

Now it's Grace's turn to give you a look of disbelief. She didn't expect you would react this way. This is the first time she's seen you so nonchalant about Sam. She tried to appear as unsurprised as possible, but her facial expression betrayed her, finding it hard to close her mouth that's currently agape. Never in her wildest dreams did she think you wouldn't be bothered by the idea of Sam, dating someone else that's not you.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What?" you asked, blinking, confused by her question.

"The last time you found out Sam has a girlfriend, you bawled your eyes out. And now you're out here, unaffected, and saying shit like, 'good for him'? What kind of supernatural being possessed you?"

You chuckled. You tried to give her an answer, but you couldn't find any. You truly didn't know what happened. It could be the fact that you ran out of feelings for Sam because your relationship with him never really progressed after all these years. On the other hand, it could be the fact that you met Jude and grew awfully close to him.

"I don't know. I think it's just that... I found another person to give my attention to."

Grace scoffed, looking pretty disgusted by your response.

"Please don't tell me you're referring to this son of a bitch named Jude."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but yes." you said, dragging her inside your classroom.

"Seriously, Y/N. Eww."

"I don't care what you think, G."

Settling into your seat, you were alarmed upon realizing that you didn't reply to Jude's last message. You quickly fished your phone out of your pocket to send him a message, not wanting him to think he made things weird. The two of you continued to message each other until your physics teacher entered your classroom. It's funny how you didn't only have the gloomy weather in common for both your annoyingly punctual teachers arrived at the same time.

Your mind temporarily shut out thoughts of him as you tried your best to answer this headache of a quiz that was given to you.

- - -

"You guys are still talking?" Grace asked, exasperated, swallowing the food she was chewing.

"We are."

"Grace, seriously. We're just talking. You're worried for nothing." you tried, convincing your best friend to stop giving you dirty looks.

"Fine. What are you guys talking about right now?"

You smiled even though she just rolled her eyes at you, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist you, no matter how insane she thought you were being.

"He just asked me what my favorite John Denver song is."

"The Music Is You? Sounds cheesy." Grace said after peeking at your conversation with Jude in your phone.

"Trust me, G. Every guy you've dated is way cheesier."

Grace was just about to say something snarky when Sam had an outburst. You and Grace exchanged looks before diverting your attention to Sam and his friends. Thank God you can hear them perfectly from your lunch table.

"Oh, what is it now?" Danny asked, just as annoyed as Grace was a minute ago.

"Her favorite John Denver song is The Music Is You!" Sam answered, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Oh.

My.

God.

Fuck.

Both you and Grace's eyes shot wide open, Sam's words leaving the both of you dumbfounded. Is this really happening? You were too shocked to tell.

You couldn't move. You lost the capability to speak. Your brain won't even form sentences, let alone words right now as it refused to process what your ears had heard. Suddenly, all that you felt was this abnormal pounding sensation in your chest.

If you thought Sam Kiszka couldn't make you weak anymore, you've never been so wrong.

- - -

A/N: PART TWO.